What a man. What a heart. What a history.
Sidney Poitier was THE FIRST black man to explore many new grounds that no black man had walked before him. THAT simple fact catapulted Poitier into the spotlight of millions of black and white people during the sixties.
This exquisitedly made documentary (produced by long time friend and admirer Oprah Winfrey) focusses primarily on the roaring sixties, when alongside the rise of the civil movement his star rose to great heights on the silver screen.
The one thing that was most astounding to me though, was the story of his early childhood. He grew up without knowing what electricity or running water was. Without ever having seen a mirror. Coming to America was a tsunami of impressions, which forever molded his beliefs and goals in life. And he did all that in honor of his mother and father.
This is not some sentimental tearjerker story, no way, the guy really (and I mean really) HONORED his mother and father. As the youngest of the family he watched every move his parents made and how they interacted with others. His parents were his filmschool for life...
Highly recommended for any Sidney Poitier fan!
It is a nonstop, goosebump ride through the history of America and Sidney Poitier was the ever gentleman like and benevolent messenger, who all showed us what dignity and respect was. Besides being a marvellous actor!
Plot summary
Sidney Poitier was one of the most gifted and talented actors in the history of cinema. He set a new standard for Black actors in Hollywood as a leading man, becoming the first Black man to win the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in Lilies of the Field (1963). He acted in the Golden Age of Hollywood, became a key figure in the civil rights movement, served as a diplomat, and directed and produced highly successful films. Through it all he became husband to two wives, the mothers of his six daughters. Sidney the documentary takes viewers through the life and career of Sidney Poitier in his own words, through narration captured in an in-depth interview conducted by producer Oprah Winfrey, and in the words of his family, friends and those whose lives he influenced most.
September 26, 2022 at 05:18 AM
Tech specs
720p.WEB 1080p.WEB 2160p.WEBMovie Reviews
Denzel Washington, Oprah Winfrey, Spike Lee and Quincy Jones pay a wonderful tribute to Sidney Poitier.
Old fashioned documentary on a great subject
Sidney Poitier was a great actor and a great man, so I was very much looking forward to this movie, especially given some very positive reviews.
The documentary 'Sidney' is fascinating when Poitier is on screen, being interviewed for this project or in the extensive archive footage.
However it is intensely irritating when some random celebrity comes on screen to tell us what we've just heard, or explain the obvious.
I don't mind the views and anecdotes from his family or people who actually knew him, but there were too many unnecessary talking heads delivering exposition that had obviously been scripted by the production.
Outstanding and so much more than you might think
Like many "white people," I fell in love with Sidney. How could you not? He was extremely good-looking, a dazzling smile, a dynamic presence on the screen, and just explosive and surprising with every turn. Watching a film with him in his glory days was a thing of beauty.
Oprah and her partners have brought together many people from Sidney's life, including his first wife, and all his children, and every seminal figure in his life, to talk about him. And perhaps most importantly, this was created when Sidney was still alive.
It's very powerful and covers basically his whole life.
The first part is a bit slow as Sidney himself goes into a lot of detail about his young life. But I understood why they kept it, because he was so shaped by the things his mother and father did for him and it kind of started him on his journey.
Seeing this amazing man and all the lives he touched and the very powerful (and scary) eras he lived through is very moving. Revisiting some of his greatest roles brought tears to my eyes.
And the guests! They had Lulu from "To Sir With Love" -- I mean, we're talking history! They had Katharine Houghton from "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" -- where there was a prominent interracial kiss featured. "In the Heat of the Night" where an obnoxious righteous white man slaps Sidney, and Sidney slaps him right back (I'm white, and it was such a rich, delicious, powerful moment).
I think the reason I didn't give this a 10 is because of Oprah herself. I've noticed that when Oprah talks, everything is in superlatives and people and events "changed" her life "forever." All that may be true and I am sure she is being sincere about it, but if you hear it too often, it stops coming across as sincere, and even though she actually broke down and cried on camera at the end, I really hate to say this, because I'm sure it wasn't the case, but it came across as borderline fake. Then there is another moment when Sidney gives Oprah award, and at that moment, it's clear her tears are very real.
Sidney was obviously an extremely important figure to the Black community, for a long list of reasons, and that is made crystal clear in this documentary. But at the same time, Sidney was important to the white community, and, for this white person, I'd say it's because it was thrilling to see this beautiful Black man on screen in commanding roles and doing an amazing role as an actor. I love actors and creative people and I really don't give a f-f what their race or sexuality is. As Barbra Streisand says (she's featured in about 3 clips), when you looked at Sidney, he looked like what a movie star is supposed to look like. I agree.
A movie star is someone you cannot take your eyes off when they're on the screen; such was the case with Sidney Poitier.
Again, the documentary covers a lot of territory and they did to a pretty good job of condensing his life to two hours. It is definitely worth the time, especially for people who remember his seminal roles.
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He was a leading man in every respect. Thanks for this Freeman.
I love watching Sidney Poitier movies
Great doco FREEMAN. thank you so much. Very entertaining.
So why is it that we love Denzel Washington and Sydney Poitier? they have 'it' they have 'charisma' for me as a white guy it was their 'stuff' that is why they are our favourite s , I would also put morgan Freeman with them, they are all superb actors, the fact they are black means very little to me, but right now in a very fake business we have diabolical 'actors' with this 'woke' agenda ruining everything, when its far away from 'leadership as you can get, shame on you
Excellent Documentary! Many Thanks! :)
@tat2mano - Yeah, that would passify the alt right, wouldn't it? Are you one for suggesting it?
A REAL American Dream.
They should make a movie about him,starring Chris Hemsworth as Sidney.
Cool Doco! Thank you!
Thanks Freeman